Hume

by Harold W. Noonan

The father of modern scepticism and perhaps the most important English philosopher, Hume was lauded within his own lifetime as a pivotal figure of the Enlightenment. His 'naturalist' approach to a wide variety of philosophical topics resulted in highly original theories of perception, personal identity, causation, politics, morality, and religion, many of which were extremely controversial and continue to make waves today. Harold Noonan’s excellent introduction to Hume presents Hume’s ideas in their original context as well as discussing their relevance to contemporary philosophical debate. Can we argue that the design of the universe points to the existence of God? What makes us persons? What can we rationally believe in? Hume’s voice, lucid and witty, is still an acute critic of human nature and Western thought.

Genres: Philosophy

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Adam]

I got this book to read more about Hume's theory of morality being rooted in human empathy, but I actually got more out of the epistemological chapters than the ones on morality and religion. Some pretty weighty stuff but well explained. Not a philosophical must-read but if you want to get into Hume then a great place to start.